The Karnataka Sakala Services launched in 2011 — to ensure timely delivery of government services — is not meeting its end if a recent study by the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, is an indication.
Corruption still dogs the delivery of services in government departments, according to the study by Yashomati Ghosh, Associate Professor, NLSIU, who conducted the study (2017) for the Union Ministry of Law and Justice. It found that corruption was prevalent in the form of “ dalal ” in departments such Transport and Revenue.
The study said: “The dalal works as a mediator and facilitates applicant for getting services with the help of government officials.”
In most cases, higher officials either do not listen to applicants or do not take action against the defaulting officers.
Absence of a full time-director, delivery of services by hiring of over 1,000 outsourced employees as computer operators, and delay in the release of salary for employees, poor infrastructure in the form of computer, internet connectivity, printer, and generators contributed to poor delivery of services under Sakala, the research said.
‘Supervisory position’
The Sakala Mission has no powers to take action against officers defaulting in delivery of services. The mission has been given only supervisory position without power.
More than 725 services are being provided under the Sakala Act. It said the mission has become only a monitoring body with the primary function of data collection.
“The Sakala Mission does not have any statutory power of implementing the provisions of the statute. It merely monitors the electronic database relating to case status, number of applications filed, number of applications rejected, reasons for rejections, how many cases went for first appeal and second appeal, and how many cases are pending with departments,” the study noted.
Compensation
It said many applicants seeking services do not claim compensation for the delay in services owing to the meagre compensation amount.
The corpus fund of ₹5 crore has been set aside for providing compensation. But only ₹84,180 was disbursed as compensation as on September 2016.
Display boards not updated
The NLSIU study noted that there is discrepancy between the number of services listed under Sakala and actual services provided in offices. The Sakala services display board has not been maintained in taluk offices, Nadakacheri, and police stations.
For example, the Sakala information board was not updated at the RTO office in Rajajinagar, Bengaluru. Further, the Department of Stamps and Registration neither display information on Sakala nor provide any services.
The office of the Senior Sub-Registrar and Marriage, Yelahanka in Bengaluru, and the Drug Control Department have failed to comply with the Sakala rules, the study said.
Most offices do not have help desks to tell applicants about process, officer, departments, and documents. Often, designated officers accept application without issuing acknowledgement slips. There were irregularities in publication of monthly and annual reports, the study said.
